What is the Spot?

With The Spot, it's easier than ever to reach out, share your thoughts, and work with others remotely. Using Microsoft Lync 2010, The Spot ushers in a new connected experience, transforming every communication into an interaction that is more collaborative, engaging, and accessible.

Get Started with Microsoft Lync 2010

Microsoft Lync will allow you to instant messaging colleagues, share your screen with others working remotely,
host conference calls more easily, video call, and much more. It is also the technology that will replace your current desk phone!

Help and How-To

Connect with Instant Messaging and Presence

With Microsoft Lync 2010, you can stay in contact with the people who are important
to you and to getting your work done. Lync 2010 offers new features to help you
stay connected, including location enhancements, frequent contacts, and an enhanced
contact card.

Communicate with Voice and Video

Microsoft Lync 2010 provides the voice and video features that you've been asking
for. New Lync 2010 features include an easily accessible dial pad, diagnostic messages
to keep you informed about audio quality, and the ability to easily switch between
devices during a call.

Video

Integration with Microsoft Office

You can communicate from many of the programs you use the most, including Microsoft
Outlook, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. You can also
easily collaborate with others while you're working in Microsoft SharePoint.

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Lync Web App

Microsoft Lync Web App is the browser-based version of Microsoft Lync 2010 that
allows people who don’t have a Lync 2010 account and haven’t installed Lync to participate
in Lync meetings. This is the version that Mac users have access to if they are not using the client (i.e. students).

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Help and How-To

Training

Lync 2010 Attendee

Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendee is a conferencing client that allows people who don’t
have Microsoft Lync 2010 installed to participate in Lync 2010 online meetings.
Lync 2010 Attendee provides communications and collaboration tools for doing tasks
such as sending a video, requesting and giving back controls, and conducting a poll. Attendee is only available to Windows users.

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Help and How-To

Training

Voice Mail Rules

With Exchange 2010 & Unified Messaging you have the ability to provide callers with different and enhanced voice greetings. You can setup ‘Rules’ similar to Microsoft Outlook on how to handle calls which have been sent to the voice mail system.

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Audio and Video Calls

With The Spot, you can make computer-to-computer calls to other users who are enabled. If you have a webcam you can also start a video call with people inside and outside the institute. With The Spot Enterprise Voice and a headset, USB phone, or IP phone, you can use all the features of The Spot with your institute phone number to place a call to anyone on and off campus.

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Email

Email is powered by Microsoft Exchange 2010. Voice mail is now stored within your mailbox offering you one (unified) place to manage your messages. IM Conversation history can also be stored within your mailbox for easy searching or archiving.

Conference Calls

You can use The Spot to communicate with multiple people via phone, instant messaging, video, and desktop sharing. You can schedule a conference call in advance using Outlook; you and others can then join using Lync, using a browser, or by dialing in. You can also create a conference call on the fly or invite additional people into an ongoing conversation.

Your conference call can be completely online, use a traditional phone (dial-in number), or a combination. *Depending on your account policy you may not have all of these features.

Instant Messaging

The Spot's instant messaging (IM) feature allows you to chat, share your desktop, transfer files, manage calling, and more. Commonly, people begin conversations with an instant message display and then shift calling and desktop sharing. In a single conversation window, you can smoothly shift from one mode of communication to another. All these may be used together or separately.

Presence

The Spot displays the presence status of all users so that you can easily see when people are available. Your presence can describe your activity, location, willingness to communicate, and contact information. If you have an Exchange (Outlook) account, it can use your Outlook Calendar to automatically set your presence or you can set it manually. When you want to initiate communication with someone via email, voice, IM, video, or desktop sharing, you can see whether he or she is available to talk. In addition, you can set access that allows only certain people to interrupt you when you are in “Do not disturb” mode.

What does your presence state mean?

Available

You are online and available for contact.

Busy

You are in a Lync phone call or, according to your Outlook calendar, you are in a meeting.

Do not disturb

You don’t want to be disturbed and will see conversation alerts only if they are sent by your Workgroup contacts.

Be right back

You are away briefly and will return shortly.

Away

Your computer has been idle (for 15 minutes, by default).

Off Work

You are not working and are not available to contact.

Offline

You are not signed in. If you have blocked individuals from seeing your presence, you’ll always appear offline to them.

Voice Mail

With The Spot your voice mail is now stored with your e-mail Inbox, this feature is called unified messaging (UM). If your mobile device is connected to the email system you will be able to download the voice mail message and listen to it on the go.

You can still call into the voice mail, during the transition there is a new number for voicemail (617)-989-5599.

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File Sharing

Using Lync for Windows or Mac, you can send a file to another individual Spot user or to a group. Sharing files via Spot can help you conserve your email quota.

If you are in an IM, phone, or video conversation with one other person, you can send a file simply by dragging it into the conversation window. You can also send a file to any of your contacts at any time by dragging the file onto the contact's name in the main Lync window.
You can also launch a share session from within a Conversation window, which allows desktop sharing along with more advanced options.

Desktop Sharing

One of the options during a conversation is to share your screen or a presentation. This can be helpful in troubleshooting a task with another department or giving a presentation from your computer. Mac users who have the latest Office 2011 updates installed can also share their desktop using Lync for Mac.

For more information on sharing your desktop and other collaboration tools click here.>